Yahya Sinwar's removal improved what was already a joyful Sukkot festival for millions of Israelis, Jews, and their supporters around the world. President Joe Biden will also likely be furious after a Hamas leader was killed in Rafah, where he called on Israel not to enter the country after receiving threats. arms embargo and caveat Vice President Kamala Harris said that's not possible.
Israel wisely did not listen.
It would also provoke Iran and Qatar, a regional partner of the United States. Qatar hosts Hamas leaders in ultra-fashionable neighborhoods in doha But he claimed that Shinwar, hiding beneath Gaza's dilapidated streets, held the key to freeing the hostages. Even if he once did, he doesn't do it anymore.
And Iran will be reeling from further setbacks in its pursuit of victory in a broader religious war against Israel, the United States, and its allies.
How did we get here? This is useful to remember. Hamas' orgy of rape, torture, mutilation, and murder involved the deportation of 241 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip, most of them survivors, some already dead. According to International humanitarian law databaseTaking hostages is a war crime.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered Gaza with heavy fire, destroying a vast network of tunnels and military installations that Hamas had built beneath Gaza City's civilian population (as well). defined as a war crime (based on IHL). One of the announced objectives of the IDF's enlistment was the return of the hostages.
The United States was clearly dissatisfied with the intensity of the military operation. In early November, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that Israel has used “small bombs”, attempted “targeted assassinations” and offered Hamas a “humanitarian moratorium”. Israel rejected the first two on military grounds and said the third could only be done after the hostages were released.
Hamas, retreat! 117 hostages released to Israel in exchange for a week-long ceasefire at the end of November.
That point should have been made. Hamas under severe military pressure behaves differently than when it is politically protected.
But politics took over. The United States and Qatar have pursued “hostage negotiations” to pressure Israel to reach a cease-fire for prisoners who have been illegally imprisoned, tortured, and sometimes killed. Nothing happened. The United States increased pressure on Israel, increasingly harping on bribes to Incubus, including offering a permanent cease-fire and guarantees that Sinwar would not be assassinated. Hamas does not appear to be under similar pressure, although Israel avoided that possibility by removing Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh in June.
Finally in America in June blamed Hamas Due to stalled negotiations. But by August, Hamas declared so. “lose faith” Mr. Blinken remained in the United States as a mediator and visited Israel later that month. call for further efforts towards agreement.
In September, Hamas killed eight hostages in a manner not described here. That put a bit of a damper on what America called “American optimism.” NBC News“Prime Minister Netanyahu'' said, “s The public comments contained complex content, stating that they were to “assert a specific position during negotiations.'' not necessarily particularly useful”
Why is it important now? Shinwar is gone, right?
This is important because a major regional war continues and Iran has even bigger plans.
Mahmoud Abbas, a strongman in the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA), has long been under attack by Iran-backed Hamas. Iran has occupied both the West Bank and Jordan, dismantling two Sunni strongholds, one of which is ruled by a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, and dismantling terrorist fundamentalist strongholds on both banks of the Jordan River. They want to replace it with the Muslim Brotherhood (Hamas). . Saudi Arabia, the Sunni Gulf state and Israel's Abraham Accords partner, is under similar Iranian pressure. The United States has come under direct attack by the Houthis in the Red Sea and by Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq.
The war will not end with Sinwar's removal, but Khalid Mashal, now living in a luxury hotel in Doha, is the last reliable Hamas leader. The Doha government cannot pretend that Gaza is the cause of the delay. So with the collapse of Hezbollah's leadership in Lebanon and the continued unraveling of Hamas' capabilities, now is the perfect time to add to Iran's embarrassment.
The United States should first and foremost pressure Qatar to force Mashal to surrender. Unconditionally. and approve the release of the remaining hostages.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, given the suffering of his people in Gaza over the past 12 months, offered a rather kind indicator: “To those who are holding us hostage, I say: Who will take up arms? Even if you leave them behind and return the hostages, we will make it possible.'' They will leave alive. At the same time, I say: Those who harm our hostages will have their blood poured on their heads. We will hold them accountable. ”
Seems fair.
And after that, the rest of the region will wait for liberation.
Shoshana Bryan is senior director of the Center for Jewish Policy and editor of the quarterly magazine inFocus.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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